A force is exerted on both a golf club and a golf ball when the club hits the ball. If the hit is slightly off-center with respect to the typical golf club (e.g., the center of gravity of the golf club is not directly behind the point on the golf club where the club strikes the ball), then this force can cause the golf club to twist slightly. The twisting of the golf club leads to the golf ball not traveling in the direction intended by the player. Alternatively, the twisting can lead to the ball skipping over the ground rather than rolling forward in a smooth manner. Additionally, less energy is imparted to the golf ball from the putter when the putter twists. This commonly causes off-center hits to fall short of their intended target.
Golfers in general desire clubs with maximum forgiveness and true, straight, and consistent forward roll when they strike a golf ball. This is particularly true for putter-type golf clubs which are used when golfers generally need a large degree of precision and consistency for each shot. Several designs have been used or proposed to achieve this desired consistency. However, none of them have the features or advantages described below.